Amarnath road widening & 10.8-km tunnel to reduce travel time

The 110 km long national highway between Khannabal and Chandwanwari will be widened into a four-lane road as part of a project announced by Union Minister for Road Transport and National Highways Nitin Gadkari. Additionally, uphill tracks and a tunnel will be built to reach the Amarnath cave shrine hidden among the Himalayas. When the project is finished, it is anticipated that it will reduce the distance between Srinagar and the Amarnath cave shrine's travel time to 7 to 8 hours. Currently, travelling the distance by Chandanwari's historic path takes three days. “I am happy to announce that government has given its consent to Rs 53 billion project for construction of 73-km long four lane road from Khannabal to Chandanwari at a cost of Rs 18 billion (including tracks and a 10.8 km long tunnel) to the Amarnath cave shrine,” said the union minister. Gadkari added that the project will also include a 10.8-km tunnel from Sheshanag to Panchtarni and a 34 km two-lane track from Chandwari to Panchtarni to Baltal, both of which would be built at a cost of Rs 35 billion. He continued, “A 5.5-m wide concrete pedestrian track with barricades on either side will also be built for the 5-km distance from Panchtarni to the holy cave shrine.” It was also revealed that a 9-km long ropeway would be built at a cost of Rs 7.5 billion over the shorter path from Baltal to the cave temple. The project tenders will be released in November and December.